Social Media For Social Good

Joe Marchese, president of socialvibe, has written this great overview of the contribution social media are beginning to make in the cause world.

He observes:

"Because of social media, not only can people in need, be they class room teachers or farmers in the third world, publish their stories and have them read, but these platforms actually make it possible for people to band together to make a difference. Finally, social media completes the loop by allowing the teachers, students or farmer s to actually thank those that made the difference. Talk about value in connecting people.

Can social media make charitable giving market efficient? With, less bureaucracy, more transparency into the actual effect of your dollars, it would seem that improving the efficiency of charitable giving is not only possible, but likely.

But monetary donations are only part of the story. Just as important is the ability for charities to spread their message. Whereas before non-profits counted on the donation of media from major media companies, now non-profits need only look to their supporters. People are media in social media."

But read the full article … it cites a variety of sites and examples you should look at if your nonprofit is dipping its toes into the social media world.

Just one caution. As our latest DonorTrends survey and other sources indicate, the current donor base for most nonprofits — Boomers and older — have not yet embraced social media in the numbers or intensity of the under-30s. So keep in mind two things: 1) different strokes for different folks; 2) from a pure fundraising dollars perspective, social media are tomorrow, not today.